


Family Reunions

by ghostgirldani



Category: Danny Phantom, Original Work, Sky High (2005)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Crossover, Group Verse Shenanigans
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-04
Updated: 2017-06-04
Packaged: 2018-11-08 19:15:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 10,865
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11088156
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ghostgirldani/pseuds/ghostgirldani
Summary: Part of a Sky High group verse with some friends. If you're looking for proper crossover or Danny Phantom stuff, you probably should check elsewhere, as this is HEAVILY modified from canon of either but draws from both. And honestly, without some of the background context, it might not make sense.Warnings apply for some degree of abuse and gaslighting, severe injury, and general Bad Things happening. None of it is significantly worse than the Danny Phantom episode "D-Stabilized" (which was a strong inspiration for this), but just a heads up.Anyway. This is the story of Elle Fenton, and the events of the first semester of her sophomore year.





	1. Prologue

**Audio Recording  
Dated April 7, 20xx**

[play]

* * *

 

The room was white and sterile, and my skin prickled uncomfortably. They said my powers didn’t work here. I hadn’t bothered to try. 

 

They were asking me something. Why I’d come here, probably, or how. Why I’d done what I’d done. I took a deep breath, casting my mind back, trying to find an answer. 

 

“I didn’t know.”

 

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

The first thing I remember is a room not too different from this one: white and sterile and lifeless. There’s a man sitting beside me, reading something until he realizes I’m awake. The book is set aside quickly, and a smile of relief grows on his face. I have the vaguest sense that I know him, although I haven’t the faintest idea why. I don’t even know who  _ I _ am, much less anyone else. But he smiles, and I feel safe. Wherever I am, whoever I am, he’s taken care of me thus far. He’ll keep taking care of me.

 

\-----

 

The next memory is later. We’re home now, not at the hospital. Our home, as he’s my father. Apparently, I was in an accident, not unlike one he’d suffered as a young man. My amnesia is from that, I guess. Anyway, the accident. He’s got superpowers - well, ghost powers- from his. He showed me that pretty much soon as we got back, along with his lab. He’s got me hooked into some machines, doing some tests. I might have superpowers now too. I’d rather have my memories. My name feels weird in my mouth. Danielle. Like it belongs to someone else.

 

\-----

 

I overheard something I wasn’t supposed to: Dad chatting with someone about this superhero school place. Sky High, I think it was called. It sounded great to me, but Dad wasn’t thrilled when I brought it up later. “It is understandable, Danielle, that you’d feel an attraction there. I cannot imagine it is easy for you, being isolated with only your father for company. But your condition is so unstable. I know the sorts, these superheroes. At best, you’d be placed in ‘hero support’, forced to be nothing but a  _ sidekick _ your whole life. More likely, they wouldn’t accept you at all. I don’t mean to upset you, of course; we both know that you more than deserve to get in. Alas, the real world is a much harsher place. Few people get what they deserve.”

 

He’s right. Dad’s always right. I use my powers too much, and I’m wiped. I gotta get stronger, better. Dad’ll teach me, I’m sure he will. Then, I’ll show them all what I can really do. 

 

\-----

 

He says I’m finally ready. We’re gonna get back at the  people that first hurt Dad, and the high school, and everybody that ever doubted us. I’ve been training, and I’m so much better now. But they still won’t see it, Dad says, not unless I show everyone. He never got the chance, when he was still young, to prove what Vlad Masters could do. But Danielle Masters isn’t going to make the same mistake.

 

I asked him to come with me; I’m strong, but he’s way stronger. But he says this is my battle to fight. If he’s there, they won’t take me seriously. Anyway, for some reason, they think he’s a bad guy. They’re  **wrong** , and I’m going to prove it. We’re gonna go out for ice cream when I get back. 

 

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Fast forward, and I’m back in the room. It’s too clean, compared to the mess outside. The cafeteria and a good block of classroom are in ruins, after what I did to them. Before the superheroes stopped me, caught me. I’d like to say I put up a fight, but I’m just one 12 year old ghost girl. What was I supposed to do?

 

Once I’ve told them everything, they stick their heads together for a while, muttering. I can’t hear them anyway, through the roaring in my ears, so I study my fingers instead. They’re blurring at the edges, a bit. Not sure if that’s my vision, the detention room, or something else.

 

And then they’re gone and I’m alone. I try not to, but I’m imagining all the ways they might dispose of me. Vlad said if I failed, he couldn’t come after me. Wouldn’t come after me; his daughter wouldn’t be so stupid as to fail, to be caught. He said that they did horrible things to villains, if they captured them. And of course, if I failed, they’d have to brand me as a villain. So now, that’s what I am. A failure and a villain. Maybe they’ll just leave me in here to rot; it’s been so long, that seems likely.

 

But then they do come back. I’m going to stay with one of the teachers for a while, while they try to contact someone they think is related to me. I don’t think anyone’s related to me except Dad, and he won’t answer. When they fail, that’s probably when they’ll get rid of me.

 

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Turns out, I’ve got cousins, who’s been in an accident like mine too. My aunt and uncle are the ones who screwed up the experiment that landed him in the hospital. They went on to become successful, if eccentric, ghost researchers. But they’re still not careful, and their kids got zapped by something or other too.

 

But they say they’ve been trying to get back in touch with Vlad for ages, and thought they’d recently reconnected. They also know about the powers my cousins have; I guess they accepted them all along. They say they would have accepted my Dad just as quickly, if he’d only told them what he was going through. The thing I didn’t expect the most, though, was that they’re accepting me. The school’s helping sort everything out, since nobody really knows where I came from, and I don’t remember anything before my accident. The Fentons want to adopt me, and then let me attend Sky High. The twins - my cousins - are going to go to.

 

I don’t know what to think about any of this. Everything’s moving around me, and I’m frozen still. Because, there’s one other piece of news I got today: Dad’s dead. Like, properly dead dead. He was in a plane crash, they said, and with the impact and the fire, they don’t think there’s any chance he survived. 

 

There’s no chance now of things going back to the way that they were. I can't be Danielle Masters anymore. 

 

But hey, Danielle Fenton doesn’t sound too bad.

 

* * *

[recording ends]

 


	2. The Message

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Part of a Sky High group verse with some friends. If you're looking for proper crossover or Danny Phantom stuff, you probably should check elsewhere, as this is HEAVILY modified from canon of either but draws from both. And honestly, without some of the background context, it might not make sense.
> 
> Warnings apply throughout for some degree of abuse and gaslighting, severe injury, and general Bad Things happening. None of it is significantly worse than the Danny Phantom episodes "Kindred Spirits" and "D-Stabilized" (which was a strong inspiration for this), but just a heads up. 
> 
> Chapter 1: In which rumors of Vlad's death are greatly exaggerated.

_ The first day she was missing, no one noticed. The elder Fentons were also absent, for one thing. They were probably just sick or on a road trip or something. Not even her friends commented much on it; after all, she’d vanished without warning before. She’d be back in a few days, with grand stories of mischief or adventure. _

* * *

 

The new email notification beeped at her as she typed the last few sentences in her essay, distracting her from her train of thought. It was probably just one of her friends, emailing her memes again. Rolling her eyes a bit, she picked up her phone. “What’re you guys up to this time?”

What she’d expected to be just a quick glance, however, quickly turned into a wide-eyed scroll through the text of the message.

> _Dearest Danielle,_
> 
> _It has taken me far too long to reach out to you, and for that, I feel nothing but regret. After my airplane was downed, I was severely injured, and in and out of medical treatments for the better part of the year. By the time I had recovered, you’d vanished. I feared the worst, until last week, when I saw you in the reports of that ghastly ghost attack on Amity Park. My darling, how you have grown._  
> 
> _My resources are limited now, but I pray this message finds its way to you. If you can forgive me for not telling you sooner that I am still alive, I will be waiting for you tomorrow morning at Central Park. I’m sure you’ll recall the place._
> 
> _It would do my heart glad to see you again, my daughter._
> 
>  
> 
> _Forever your doting father,_ _  
> _ _Vlad Masters_

She read and reread the email, searching for any sign that this was a trick. Everything sounded right: the VladCo address, the writing style, the details he’d provided. A grin grew on her face, even as she barely dared to believe it. Her father was **alive**! And he wanted to see her! Essay forgotten, she dumped out her backpack, leaving the school stuff aside. She only paused in her rush when she say the note her friend had passed her in the halls, about their plans for the next day. He, and the rest of their little group of troublemakers, was going to be bummed if she just missed without any explanation at all.

 

> [group text to: Prank Squad] sry, smthing came up & im gonna bail on u 4 our plans 2mrrw.  
>                              Ditchin school 4 it. Ill tell u bout it on mon, k?

 

That taken care of, she set her phone aside, and lost herself to daydreams she’d had a thousand times before. Except this time, they might well be true.

\-------------

Sneaking away from her brothers had been a piece of cake; she’d told them she had an early meeting with a teacher, and they’d barely looked up from breakfast as she left the house. They’d be pissed with her later for cutting school - Cocoa especially - but they’d understand. Probably. _Besides_ , she thought, as she slipped through the subway turnstile, _I’m not missing out on this_. If she didn’t show up, her dad would be lost again, probably forever. She wasn’t losing him again.

When the girl got to the cafe, it was as though the last two years had simply melted away. This was the spot where she’d been supposed to meet him, after everything went right. But everything had gone wrong, and she’d never come. And then he’d died, and that was that. The tears had stopped coming so often in the time since.

Now, though, it took her only a moment to find him, sitting there, drinking a cup of tea, looking just the same as she’d remembered him. And the world clicked back into place again; the hole in her heart was gone, just like that.

“Daddy!”

\--------------

“Danielle, I have… something to ask you.” He said, suddenly. His face looked older, more careworn, that she’d ever seen it.

“Uh. sure. What’s up?”

“While I was recovering from my injuries, all I could think about was you, and how I hoped you’d be safe without me. As I’m sure you’ve been told by now, I’ve done some… unsavory things in my life. Perhaps you think worse of me for them. However, now that you’re here, I cannot bear to let you go again so soon. Would you let me be your father again? Just for a few days?”

Elle’s smile at that moment rivaled the brightness of the sun. “Already told my guardians or whatever that I was gonna be gone for the weekend,” she lied. “I’m all yours, Dad.”

\--------------

The weekend flew by in a blink of the eye, and it was Sunday night before she realized it. Her heart ached a little at the thought of leaving, but now she knew he was alive, it wasn’t like she couldn’t come visit. Maddie and Jack would understand, she was sure of it. They’d work out the legal mumbo-jumbo, and she’d have her real dad back. If she didn’t head out now, though, she’d miss the train back home, and then she’d miss school, and she was in enough trouble already.

She poked her head into the kitchen for a second. “Heya, Dad. Um, I gotta…. What’re y’doing?”

Vlad glanced at the girl from his position at the counter. “Why, my dear, making us some dinner. Is chicken curry still your favorite? It was, when you were small.”

Her stomach growled at the smell, and her heart twinged a bit. She hadn’t mentioned leaving until this point, because she didn’t want to think about it. He was going to be so disappointed if she left without eating. And it _was_ her favorite.

It wasn’t until they’d nearly finished dinner that he asked, “Was there something you were going to tell me, Danielle?”

“Oh, um. Nah. It’s nothing.” She said, yawning broadly. There had been something, but she couldn’t remember now. “Hey, d’you mind if I call it a night early?”

He simply smiled. “Of course not, dearest. Sleep well.”

\--------------

The girl blinked upwards at the ceiling, smiling slightly after the night of dreamless sleep. It took her a moment to orient herself. This wasn’t her bedroom; well, it was, but she was at Vlad’s, not the Fentons. And it was…. **_Monday_ **.

Shit.

She scrambled to pull on her clothes and shoes, slinging her backpack over her shoulder. She was going to be tardy, for sure. And all her class stuff was back home, including that unfinished essay! There was no way she wasn’t getting detention for this, on top of being grounded for a month.

Elle sped around the corner towards the door, and collided directly with Vlad, spilling his cup of tea all over both of them. “Ow, fuck, sorry…”

Her father grabbed her by the shoulders, staring down at her with a mixture of bafflement and concern. “Danielle, darling, what is the matter? You look like you’ve seen a ghost!”

Even in her panic, she couldn’t help but snort at the comment. “I’m super late for school. I’ve gotta run before I get in even more trouble.”

“Oh, is that all? I’ve already taken the liberty of calling you out sick for the day. I thought we could go get you some new clothes instead; you’ve been wearing that same outfit for days now.”

She blinked at him, confusion spreading across her face. “Wait, why? I’ve got lots of clothes back home…”

“Yes, well. I’ve been thinking about that, and… wouldn’t you rather stay with me? We could travel, and I’ll homeschool you. You always talked about wanting to see the world when you were, ah, recovering from your accident. Now we can, together.”

“But…” she fumbled, trying to shake everything into place. She was not awake enough yet to figure this out. Her father was looking at her so hopefully, she just found herself nodding. “...Can I get some breakfast first, though? I’m _starved_.”

“I already made you pancakes. Go on, help yourself.” He gently pushed her toward the kitchen, and she turned toward the food. She didn’t see the steely glint in his eyes as he turned to make some new tea.

\-----------

“Daddd? Have you seen my phone?” She called, from halfway under her bed. How could she have lost it? She was certain she’d had it on Saturday, when she’d ignored a text from Cocoa asking where in the Milky Way Galaxy she was. She’d even been dumb enough to turn the thing off, so it wouldn’t keep bothering her. Where could she have put it since then? She’d been so caught up in spending time with her long lost father, she hadn’t even noticed its absence.

“Haven’t seen it, dearest! Have you checked everywhere?”

Elle scrunched her nose in annoyance. She’d already dug through her backpack, the bedsheets, the dresser full of new outfits (mostly selected by Vlad, to her chagrin), even the kitchen cabinets. She’d tried to call it, but of course it hadn’t rung. Apparently, other people had been trying to call her as well, as she’d gotten the “voicemail full” message.

Which was why she _really_ needed to find the damn thing, so she could let everyone know she was alright.

She groaned as she scooted back out from under the bed, and then winced as she sat up too soon and banged her head on the edge of the frame. Her father glanced in at the same moment. “Still no luck? Well, it’s no problem. We’ll simply have to buy you a new one!”

Danielle frowned at him. “That’s not really the point. I dunno everyone’s phone numbers. Look, can I just borrow your computer or run to the library or somethin’? I’ve got to call the Fentons-”

“ _No_ .” His eyes flashed red for a moment, and Elle flinched back in surprise. Quickly, the man coughed, regaining his composure. “Darling, you know that the Fentons and I… disagree, on many points. Why on _earth_ would they be the ones you want to call?”

“They adopted me, Dad. ‘Cording to laws or whatever, I’m _their_ daughter now. They’ve been the ones taking care of me, and they’re gonna be worried sick!”

“What.” He leaned in close to her, and her eyes widened in something akin to fear. “You would **betray** me like that? I give you nothing but my love and care, and you would _turn_ on me-”

“You were **DEAD!** And I knew enough t’know that the Phantoms were the only ones out there that might kind of get what I _am_ ! So, yeah, I got taken in by the Fentons. And I _get_ that you’ve got some problem with them, but they’ve been nothing but good to me!”

And then she yelped, as her father slapped her across the cheek, anger plain in his expression. “Never speak to me that way again.” he said coldly, unaffected by the pain in her eyes as she stared at him in shock. “You’ll remain here until you learn how a daughter ought to respect her father.”

She heard the door click as she left the room, and almost immediately, she stood, running towards the window. She could phase through, run away. The window too was locked, however, and sparked as she touched it. Of course it was ghost proofed. A few quick experiments revealed the whole room to be impervious to her powers.

She slumped to the floor and pressed her palm against her still-stinging cheek. Maybe the twins had been right after all: maybe Vlad Masters wasn’t such a good man after all.


	3. The Diversion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Part of a Sky High group verse with some friends. If you're looking for proper crossover or Danny Phantom stuff, you probably should check elsewhere, as this is HEAVILY modified from canon of either but draws from both. And honestly, without some of the background context, it might not make sense.
> 
> Warnings apply throughout for some degree of abuse and gaslighting, severe injury, and general Bad Things happening. None of it is significantly worse than the Danny Phantom episodes "Kindred Spirits" and "D-Stabilized" (which was a strong inspiration for this), but just a heads up. 
> 
> Chapter 2: In which Elle discovers it is Halloween

_ The fifth day she was missing, a few murmurs ran through the school. The twins had returned, but Elle was still out. A freshman had overheard a snippet of conversation between the principle and the Fenton parents. Maybe the youngest Fenton was sick or got in an accident or something. Still, she’d be back soon. Besides, Bendy had just blown a larger-than-average hole in the Mad Science ceiling, and that was far more interesting. _

* * *

The awful alarm clock blared beside her, but Danielle didn’t make a move to shut it off. She was numb to the noise now, just like she was numb to everything else. All it meant was that soon she’d be fed, then it would be time for tests. Maybe, just maybe, if the tests went well, she’d get to go outside this afternoon. That was, assuming Father was in a good mood. 

“Get up, you lazy girl. Honestly, why did I even _buy_ that alarm for you?” The harsh voice said from her doorway. She moved mechanically in response, careful not to disturb the fog in her mind. If she started to think, she started to remember. Remembering, she’d decided an eternity ago, was bad. Better to stay with Dad; he knew best. He’d take care of her, after a fashion. But her heart still ached for the things she didn’t dare to remember anymore. There were people, somewhere, who were probably worried about her.

They wouldn’t recognize her now, anyway.

All through breakfast, Father spoke to her as she spooned cereal into her mouth. “Now, Danielle. I realize that you’ve been taking things badly the last few days. I have just a few more tests to run, but this afternoon, how would you like to go out to Central Park with me? I have some business to take care of there.”

The faintest glimmer of life sparked back into her eyes. “Really? You’d take me with you?”

“Of course, dearest! Maybe you can even help me out with it. However, we have a lot to do today first. So, finish that up, would you?”

She didn’t bother replying, instead emptying her bowl in record time. She didn’t dare to hope for a chance to escape. Her father was nothing if not careful. Leaving the house, however, might give her a chance to at least let the people looking for her know that she was still alive. It had been days, maybe a week, since she’d last gotten that opportunity.

The morning went past in a blur. Her father was interested mainly in her new abilities. Before he’d vanished, she’d been quick, but not particularly strong. The things she could do were mainly tricks, illusions that worked best if you’d never seen them before. Minor distortion of space, floating objects, throwing her voice around the room. That manner of thing. But the last few years has seen her powers magnify, and that fascinated Vlad. Apparently, the things she could do were extremely rare, and markedly different from his own or those of the Phantom twins.

Thus, most of the tests involved attaching stickers with wires on them to parts of her body, and then having her do things. She didn’t understand any of the outputs the machines were making. Sometimes, he explained. Mostly, he didn’t.

By the time he finally stopped giving her directions, Danielle was exhausted. He was pushing her further and further each day, straining the limits of what she could do. The little voice in the back of her mind that wasn’t yet numb was practically screaming at her to hold back. As she wiped her forehead, then stared at the streak of green left behind on her hand, she recalled why. She’d had the foresight to throw a couple vials of Dejecto in her bag before she’d left. That supply was limited, however. Vlad hadn’t yet noticed her instability, as far as she could tell, but odds weren’t great that he’d have anything to fix her if she started melting.

 _Of course he’d stabilize me! I’m his_ **_daughter_ ** _._ She thought, berating herself suddenly. He might be harsh, but he loved her. They were doing this so that he could teach her better. If he was pushing too hard, it was just because he needed to find out exactly where she was, so she could grow even more.

But the little nagging voice retorted: _Are you so sure?_

She shook her head suddenly, pulling a wire loose. Her father glanced up from his computers, an odd expression on his face. “Danielle? Is… everything alright?”

“Just fine! I just spazzed a little, no biggie!” She said brightly, giving him a thumbs up. Internally, she gave the voice a smug glance. _Told you he cared_.

Somehow, she still wasn’t convinced.

\-------------

“Now, Danielle. I need you to listen carefully. This meeting of mine _must_ go perfectly. You’ll be there to… create a diversion, shall we say? You remember the signal I taught you?”

She bit her lip slightly, and nodded. At the time, she’d been a little confused by the spontaneous lesson, which had occurred just after dinner a few days ago. It hadn’t seemed relevant at the time. But Father had a plan. He _always_ had a plan.

“Excellent, my child. When I give you the signal, you’ll need to ensure no one notices what myself and my friend are discussing. Do whatever you must to make it so. Understand?”

Again, she nodded. “Make sure nobody gets close or sees anything. Got it.”

He patted her lightly on top of the head. She did her best not to cringe. She _hated_ it when people did that. But this was her Dad, so it was alright. “Very well. Then, if you’re ready?”

Then they were walking out the front door together, Danielle squinting slightly against the harsh light of the afternoon sun. In her pocket, her fingers nervously fiddled with a torn scrap of paper. It wasn’t much, but maybe she could drop the note somewhere where someone could find it. Or, even better, maybe she’d be able to use her own diversion to slip away for a few minutes and borrow a phone.

Anything to let the Fentons know she was OK.

\----------

She trailed along just behind her father as they walked through the park towards his mysterious meeting. He hadn’t told her anything more about who they were meeting, or why. She didn’t dare to ask. The last time she’d questioned him, she’d ended up with a bruise across her face for days. Instead, she gazed around at everything around them. Vendors were advertising “spooky” foods, and the few kids they passed were all dressed up. Danielle’s forehead furrowed in mild confusion. Why was everything still set up for Halloween?

Finally, she caught a glimpse of the date on a newspaper as they passed one of those machines that sold them. October 31st.

It _was_ Halloween. She’d only been gone for ten days.

That realization caused the teen to stumble slightly, falling out of step with the man in front of her. Roughly, he grabbed her arm, pulling her up next to him again. “Are you alright, dear?” He asked, voice full of concern. The pressure of his fingers, however, told a different story. He didn’t trust her. This was her warning: another step out of line, and there would be consequences.

Swallowing back a grimace, the girl smiled up at him. “Yeah, I’m fine! Just kicked a rock or somethin’.”

His eyebrow arched slightly in skepticism, but she didn’t let the smile falter. After a moment, he loosed his grip on her bicep. “Ah, look. Here we are. Now, where might my friend be…?”

Elle rubbed the sore spot in her arm as Vlad scanned the area. She still hadn’t the faintest idea who they were looking for here, nor what value he gained from bringing her along. Vlad Masters might keep it a closely guarded secret, but he was an incredibly powerful ghost in his own right. Her powers might be more unusual, but he could certainly manage his own distraction if he wanted to. Part of her hoped it was a sign that, despite his short temper, he really did want to teach her and be a father to her, like he had been after her accident.

But then, she’d had no other idea what a father ought to be. It had just been the two of them, and she’d been happy that way. Now, though, she found herself missing her new family. Maddie, who’d taken Danielle in as one of her own in a heartbeat, despite already having three children. Jack, who never once yelled at her or hurt her except in the occasional overly tight hug. The twins, who could drive her up the wall one moment and send her into fits of laughter the next. And Jazz, who’d always listened even in the moments where Elle couldn’t help but be honest.

She’d always thought of Vlad as her real father, and them as just her adopted family. Part of her was still thrilled to discover he was still alive, and still loved him in spite of everything. The Fentons were her family too, though. Whatever history they and Vlad shared, she didn’t understand why he was so against her seeing them again. Fingers strayed back to her pocket, tracing the edges of her note. Probably, nothing would come of it, but she had to try. Even at the risk of angering her father again.

Suddenly, her attention snapped back to the world around her, as she caught the very end of Vlad’s signal. Apparently, he’d found whoever he was looking for. She didn’t get a chance to look before focusing on what she was supposed to be doing. A sudden wind blew through their section of the park, stirring up leaves, dust, and more than a few unsecured Halloween decorations. Oddly, the gust didn’t fade, but continued to swirl around and around the clearing. Passerbys frowned at the phenomenon, and walked past quickly. One adventurous kid tried to ignore it, and yelped as the wall of air pushed them backwards, away from the adults speaking on a park bench, and away from the girl who stood nearby, face flecked with green.

No one noticed the scrap of paper that twirled through the torrent, to deposit itself in the kid’s candy bag.

\----------

She hadn’t seen him this pleased in a week. Apparently, the meeting had gone well, although she still hadn’t figured out what it had been been about. By the time he’d touched her shoulder, letting her know that her distraction was no longer necessary, she was exhausted. Her whole body felt fuzzy, as though her muscles were on the verge of disintegrating. Her mind wasn’t much better.

At least he hadn’t seemed to notice, and had let her head to bed directly after dinner. Danielle practically sighed in relief as she shut the bedroom door behind her, slumping to the floor. She knew the room was a prison cell; that didn’t stop it from feeling like a refuge in that moment. For a minute, she just sat, feeling the drops of ectoplasm drip from her face and splatter onto her knees.

_Come on, Elle. Pull yourself together._

The shot of Dejecto stung as it coursed through her veins, binding her back together again. She’d nearly waited too long this time, she realized, as the fog in her brain began to clear. With only two vials remaining, she wanted to conserve the concoction. But there had to be enough of her left to administer it to. She didn’t know what would happen if she destabilized completely.

She didn’t want to.


	4. The Phone

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Part of a Sky High group verse with some friends. If you're looking for proper crossover or Danny Phantom stuff, you probably should check elsewhere, as this is HEAVILY modified from canon of either but draws from both. And honestly, without some of the background context, it might not make sense.
> 
> Warnings apply throughout for some degree of abuse and gaslighting, severe injury, and general Bad Things happening. None of it is significantly worse than the Danny Phantom episodes "Kindred Spirits" and "D-Stabilized" (which was a strong inspiration for this), but just a heads up. 
> 
> Chapter 3: In which Elle finally finds her cell phone. Also, the twins are in this one.

_ By the eighth day of absence, rumors were flying thick among the classes. The twins weren't talking, but would often leave abruptly in the middle of class, teachers merely pausing for a moment to watch as one or the other rushed out the door before continuing their lectures. Elle was in the hospital; she’d been hit by a plane. Elle had run away from home. Elle’s mysterious father had popped up after vanishing for the last few years. Elle was just grounded and suspended after a particularly raucous party. The general concensus, though, was that she was fine, and would be back when she got back. It wasn’t so bad, having the poltergeist missing, anyway. _

* * *

 

“Do it again.” Vlad Masters said, frustration creeping into his tone.

Across the room, the girl sighed, pushing her black and white bangs out of her face. He’d been having her do the same thing for hours now, and she was sick of it. She’d told him, over and over again, that she couldn’t do more than a weak ectoray, but he was adamant that she was hiding it from him. He’d tried bribing her, threatening her, even once firing an energy blast of his own at her, to try and get the reaction he wanted.

Yet, here they were, trying it for the ten thousandth time. She bit her lip, trying to focus on the sensation she’d learned from her brothers. It came so easily to them, along with a myriad of other powers. It came easy to Vlad as well. It was apparently a half ghost thing.

She’d tried to explain that she didn’t really feel like she was half ghost either, but he said she must be. After all, he had been there when she’d gotten her powers. She still couldn’t remember. It just wasn’t manifesting because she wasn’t really trying. Or at least, that’s what her father kept saying, temper rising each time.

It had been a week since she’d been outside last, serving as his distraction on Halloween. He’d become more insistent since then that she needed more training, that he had to puzzle out why her powers were behaving so unusually. Tests had moved away from electrodes and wires and machines, into attempting to shoot an ectoblast at a target, a million times in a row. But at least it left her less exhausted than pushing her actual abilities to their limit.

As the green glow fizzled away from her fingertips yet again, Vlad slammed his hand onto the desk, glowering. “It makes no sense! What _possible_ explanation is there? Even the weakest ectopuss can do this better than you!” His eyes suddenly focused directly on her, and he gestured her to come closer. Hesitantly, she did.

“Well, my dear, it seems we’ve come to this: I need a sample from you, to run further testing. There must be something wrong with how your ectoplasmic and human biology is interacting. Perhaps then we’ll be able to make some progress with you again. And you were _so_ promising, when your powers first manifested…”

Danielle choked back a retort, that her powers were manifesting just fine, thanks. She didn’t mind much that she didn’t work the same way at him or the twins. She didn’t particularly want to be a half ghost; she was happy being whatever it was that she was. Human once, something a bit more ethereal now. Arguing with him, however, was liable to get her locked in her room again, or some worse form of punishment.

Nor could she deny that she was curious as to exactly why her powers were so different from most ghosts she’d met. The Fentons had records of other poltergeists; it had been Maddie who’d explained the categorization system, and Danielle’s place on it. No one she knew had ever actually met one, however. So, she ignored the alarm bells ringing in her mind, and nodded at her father.

“What kind’ve a sample?”

“Blood would be most useful. I have the equipment here.” He gestured at some medical supplies, laid out on a tray on one of the basement’s tables. She couldn’t quell the thought that he’d been planning to collect this ‘sample’ for some time, with how ready everything looked. “Just have a seat here, and relax. This is entirely painless.”

That was a lie, she quickly found, although not the most serious one she would find that day.

\--------------

She woke back up with a headache and a view of several vials of her own glowing blood. Her father, on the other hand, was nowhere to be seen. After she’d blacked out, he must have left to deal with some other order of business.

A memory of him sitting anxiously beside her when she woke in the hospital surfaced, unbidden. It was the first memory she really had; she still recalled nothing prior to her accident, or that incident itself. She had been hooked up to a bunch of machines, not so different from the ones of the week prior. He’d been sitting at the side of her bed, reading a book, until she moved her head to get a better look. Then he’d been up, fussing over her, asking her a bunch of questions. She hadn’t had answers for any of them, at that time. But she remembered feeling warm and safe, as this funny man tried to make her comfortable and remind her of who she was.

He’d felt like a father, then, and she a daughter. Now, alone in the cool basement lab, she felt more like a guinea pig.

Her head spun a bit as she stood, and she caught herself on the edge of his work desk. As she did, hand slamming against the surface, a drawer popped open a little. Intrigued, she pulled it out the rest of the way.

Not once, in the two weeks or so she’d been here, had her father opened this drawer in front of her. In fact, he’d given her explicit instructions to stay away from the desk. “Nothing here is of interest to you, and it is critically important to me, dearest. Perhaps you’ll find it silly, but it must not be disturbed, or it will throw all of my research off. Understand?”

At the time, she’d just shrugged and agreed. Now, however, her eyes widened as she took in the contents of the drawer. In particular, the shiny black object tucked away in the back corner.

 _Her phone_.

Danielle stood paralyzed for a few moments, reeling at the implications. It had been missing since the first day she’d stayed here. Vlad had said he hadn’t seen it. She’d overturned her bedroom cell a dozen times trying to find it, to call someone to let them know where she was. She’d basically given up hope, assuming she’d dropped it somewhere and lost it forever.

Yet there it was, still in her sticker-covered case, hidden away in a place she’d never think to look for it. It couldn’t have gotten here by accident. Which meant….

Which meant he’d stolen it. Her father had taken her phone away, probably straight out of her bedroom. Out of her backpack, one of the few things she’d thought was hers, and truly safe. If he’d rooted through it to take this, he likely knew about the Ecto-Dejecto kit she kept there as well. And about every other item she’d deemed important enough to carry with her on an ill-thought-out trip to see her long-lost father.

She felt sick. He’d done a lot to challenge her love for him over the last days and weeks, but this was on a whole new level.

The girl started at a noise from upstairs, remembering where she was and what she was doing. If he came down now, she was in serious trouble. But if she simply shoved the drawer closed, she might never find another opportunity. She needed to talk to the twins, to her parents, to somebody. She needed to go home.

Decision made, she grabbed the phone, smashing down the power button. “C’mon c’mon c’mon,” she hissed at it, as the startup sequence played. “ _Shit_.” The volume was on, which meant the device had just played a happy, and loud, little start up tune. She prayed the basement was well enough soundproofed that the man walking around upstairs hadn’t heard. If he had, it likely wouldn’t matter anymore, but she slipped behind the desk anyway, pressing her back into the cool metal. It might give her another few seconds, if she were busted.

It felt like an eternity before the cell phone finally powered on, and she could silence the damn thing. Her heartbeat was pounding in her throat as she tried to get into her contacts, ignoring the torrent of notifications as it connected to a cell tower. Texts and voicemails poured in, nearly crashing the little computer in her palm. The sheer number of them startled her. _I’m so sorry_ , she thought, as she swiped them all away. There would be time later. What she wasn’t so sure of, was time now.

Finally, she got to the first number in her contacts, and pressed call.

\-------------

Daniel Fenton was, as usual, having a bad day. It had been two and a half weeks since his younger sister had vanished, and a good week since they’d had any leads. His parents had insisted that he continue school. “Sweetie, we’re worried about Ellie too, but you won’t do her any good running around like this!” his mother had said. “Your father and I are doing everything we can, as are many other people. You have other things to focus on.”

So, here he was, sitting through a boring lecture on some topic he couldn’t pay attention to, exhausted from yet another ghost fight he hadn’t wanted, mostly wondering where on earth Ellie had disappeared to. They hadn’t had any leads in over a week, not since a random parent had called to say they’d found a note in their child’s Halloween candy, mostly smudged with chocolate. All they’d been able to work out, supposedly, was the Fenton’s phone number, the name “Elle”, and the word “safe”.

Daniel desperately wanted to believe that his sister was safe, and off having some sort of ill-advised adventure. But she hadn’t called, hadn’t come back, hadn’t done anything but shove a shred of a note into a random kid’s trick-or-treat bag. It was like she’d just vanished, without a trace. No one, human or ghost, seemed to have a clue where she’d gone.

Suddenly, his phone began ringing from his backpack, earning him the start of a scolding from the teacher. He completely ignored it, though, as he practically tore through to answer it. As he did, he made eye contact with his twin in the next desk. The ringtone was Ellie’s.

Continuing to ignore the teacher’s protests, they both bolted for the classroom door.

\---------------

_Pick up pick up pick up pick up….._

“Ellie? Is that you?”

She sighed in relief at the crackling voice of her brother. “Yeah, cuz. It’s me. I-”

“Where in the Milky Way Galaxy have you been? We’ve been searching for you everywhere! Where are you now? Are you in trouble?”

“I know, I’m sorry. I’m-”

A sudden shadow cut her off, as Vlad Masters loomed over her, nothing but rage in his expression. Her eyes went wide in fear as he yanked the phone from her hand. As she watched, he threw it to the floor, smashing it under his heel. “You little-!”

\------------

“Ellie? _Ellie!_ Hello, are you still there?” Daniel yelled into his phone, as the line suddenly crackled and went dead. No response. He glanced at the screen, frowning in concern, but the call was ended. He tried redialing, but it went straight to the full voicemail.

“Well? What did she say?” His twin asked, exasperated. “What happened?”

Daniel shook his head. “I don’t know. She’s in trouble. I think… I’m not sure, but, right before it went dead? There was another voice, and… it sounded like… Vlad.”

Danny shook his head, frown deepening. “Can’t be. We haven’t seen him since that plane crash. He’s dead dead. Gotta be.”

“I don’t know, twin. This is _Vlad_ we’re talking about. He’s good at laying low, and we know Ellie still thinks of him as her dad. Either way, she needs our help. You call Tucker, I’ll call Mom and Dad. We gotta find a way to figure out where she called us from.”

“Already on it.”

They both knew it wasn’t much of a lead, but they were out of time. If Vlad really did have her, Danielle was out of time.


	5. Salvage

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Part of a Sky High group verse with some friends. If you're looking for proper crossover or Danny Phantom stuff, you probably should check elsewhere, as this is HEAVILY modified from canon of either but draws from both. And honestly, without some of the background context, it might not make sense.
> 
> Warnings apply throughout for some degree of abuse and gaslighting, severe injury, and general Bad Things happening. None of it is significantly worse than the Danny Phantom episodes "Kindred Spirits" and "D-Stabilized" (which was a strong inspiration for this), but just a heads up. 
> 
> Chapter 4: In which everything goes to heck, and a rescue attempt is made

_ Fourteen days of absence before they finally made an announcement. The rumors were out of control, and half the sophomore class was freaking out. Elle shouldn’t be gone so long. It was almost missed, tacked on at the end of the daily announcements: If anyone knew where Danielle Elizabeth Fenton might be, would they please step forward. This wasn’t funny anymore. _

* * *

 

“Let me GO!” Danielle screamed, pulling against the straps binding her against the examination table. As with everything else in this damn house, they were impervious to her powers. Vlad knew what he was doing when it came to ghost-proofing. 

“Not likely, my _dearest_ . Not after you try, once again, to betray me. Really, this is all your fault. I had so much _more_ planned for you, but you’ve forced my hand.” He spat back. There was venom in the pet name; it sounded more like an insult now than a term of affection.

“How did I **betray** you? I’m so sorry, I thought maybe my friends were worried about me since I _vanished off the fucking planet_.” She said, sarcasm dripping off of her words. “You’re the one who’s been keeping me in a fucking prison cell! Maybe if you weren’t, and hadn’t stolen my damn phone, I might not want t’break your stupid fucking rules so much!”

He simply laughed darkly. “You might want to watch your mouth, girl. Your fate is already sealed; all you can do now is determine how much I relish it.”

Her eyes flashed green in anger, but he was right: there wasn’t anything she could do. Struggling now, while he was watching, would only tire her out. Just because there wasn’t an opportunity now, however, didn’t mean she was giving up easily. Her jaw clenched in defiance as she stared him down.

“Adorable. Really, for as unsuccessful as you were, I am impressed. With the data I’ve gathered from you, the next attempt will be far superior than the rest. It’s just such a shame you had to spoil everything before I was finished.”

Her expression softened ever so slightly into confusion. “....what d’you mean, _next attempt_?”

“Have you **really** not figured it out? Oh, how quaint. You’re far too similar to be merely a distant cousin of the Phantoms. Surely you noticed that?

“No. You, my dear, are a _clone_ , that I created three years ago. The first to last more than a few days, I might add. I will be _quite_ curious to determine the composition of that formula the Fentons developed, to keep you from devolving into ectoplasm. Possibly that is the key to success -”

She didn’t hear the rest of his thought, as he wandered off into speculation. Everything was drowned out by the echo of a single word: **clone.** A copy. A poorly made replica of the twins. Everything he’d told her, before sending her off on a mission, had been a lie. There was no accident that gave her ghost powers. She didn’t have a mother who left when she was small. She hadn’t lost her memories of the first 12 years of her life.

She didn’t **have** a first 12 years of her life.

“....why?” she choked out, suddenly, interrupting Vlad’s continuing monologue. “Why… did you make me?”

He blinked at her. “You, specifically, I didn’t intend. Several things must have gone wrong in the cloning process. As the twins refused to accept me as their mentor and father, I decided to create my own half-ghost son. Benefitting from my training and care, the Phantoms would soon be obsolete. But instead, I ended up with bad clones, unable to hold themselves together. And then with you.

“I must admit, your tenacity surprised me. Your human DNA is incredibly damaged, and your ectoplasmic signature is scarcely better. I fully expected you to fail in your mission, and I’d assumed you had when I faked my own demise. Yet, there I was, three years later, and there you were, _assisting_ the Phantoms with a ghost in Amity Park. It was child’s play to find a means of contacting you. And like the silly little girl you are, you walked right back into my arms.”

He walked over to the table, gazing down at her. She scowled back up, the expression ruined slightly by the tears streaking across her cheeks. He gently reached down to brush them away. “You mustn't be so upset, my dear. With that I’ll learn from you, my next clone will be far more successful. You’ve proven yourself far more useful than I ever expected of you.”

\---------------

“I’m doing the best I can, dude! The GPS signal’s weak, but I think I’ve got you coordinates.” Tucker said. “Sending ‘em to you now.”

“Thanks, man. I owe you one.” Daniel replied, before cutting off the phone call. His twin glanced up from his pacing, eyes questioning. “Tucker thinks he found her. I’ve got the location now.”

“ _Finally_ . I’ve got everything I could think to grab from here. Send it t’Dad and Val, and let’s **go** already.”

Daniel nodded, glancing at the icon on his phone’s map. It had to be the right location: when it came to tech stuff, Tucker was the best. The weak signal had to belong to Danielle’s phone, and would lead them straight to Danielle. But it had taken time, during which the twins had only become more and more anxious. _We’re on our way, Ellie. Just hold on a little longer._

\--------------

She twisted her wrists against the restraints for the hundredth time, ignoring the sting where her skin was rubbed raw. Vlad was distracted for the moment, doing who knew what. Elle no longer cared. So long as he was on the opposite side of the basement, immersed in some other task, he wasn’t studying her. It was the closest thing to an opportunity she’d get.

As she struggled, her mind wandered to the failed call. She hadn’t gotten a chance to tell her brother where she was before her phone was destroyed. She didn’t even know how much he had heard. Which meant she couldn’t count on them to find her. Maybe, somehow, they’d be able to figure it out, from ten seconds of a phone call and a voice in the background. Maybe.

More likely, she was all alone.

A little sob broke free of her before she could stop it, and she froze for a moment, glancing towards where Vlad sat. He didn’t react, still engrossed in whatever he was doing. Something with a microscope and her blood, as far as she could tell. Whatever it was, she doubted it boded well for her.

More determined than ever to get out of here, she redoubled her efforts to escape.

\-----------------

A beeping noise woke her up, and she started to reach to shut off her alarm clock. Just another average school day, she thought, until realizing that she couldn’t move her arm. Confused, she opened her eyes, disorienting her further. She wasn’t in either of her bedrooms, but strapped to a table, surrounded by machines. _The basement lab_ . Off to the side, her father - no, _creator_ \- swore as he looked at a computer screen.

Danielle choked back the panic as memory caught up to her. How could she have fallen asleep? She had to get out of here! Vlad must have knocked her out somehow; there was no other explanation. Now, electrodes were stuck all over her body, and the straps felt even tighter against her rugburnt wrists.

“I need more **time!** ” Vlad suddenly snarled, slamming a hand down on the desk. The girl flinched, and he caught sight of the movement. “Bah. And now _you’re_ awake again as well. Your little phone call has caused me no end of trouble. The Phantoms will be here in a matter of minutes, thanks to your stupidity. At least _you_ won’t be capable of causing any more.”

Her heart leapt in her chest. They’d actually found her? She’d practically given up hope, but now? She might have a chance. She certainly didn’t plan on giving up without a fight. “Oh yeah? Wanna bet, **_Dad?_ ** ”

She twisted one of her hands around, managing to form a small ball of green energy in her palm that she then flung towards his head. He dodged it easily, however, before scowling at her. In a moment, he was looming over her, eyes solid red in anger. “Enough of your foolishness! It might have been convenient to study you for longer, but I can learn what I need just as easily from your ectoplasmic remains!”

Her eyes widened, fear creeping into her expression. “Wait-”

But it was too late. He smirked slightly as he pressed a single button on a machine.

Danielle screamed.

\----------

“This can’t be right. You’re sure this is right?”

“ **Yes!** For the tenth time, these are the coordinates Tucker sent. I even double checked with him! Her phone’s around here somewhere, and so is she.”

The two boys were outside of a small, unassuming house at the end of a driveway, arguing with the Red Huntress. The house was nice enough, but painfully ordinary. Valerie was completely unconvinced that Vlad Masters would ever set up shop in something so bland.

“She’s got a point, twin. I don’t know about you, but I’m not sensing anything.”

“Yeah, but - “ Daniel cut off suddenly.

“Wha-”

“Shhh! Listen!”

The three teens stood still, listening as a faint shout echoes out of the dark house before them. A quick glance at each other made it clear they were all thinking the same thing.

“She’s in there. Let’s go.”

\--------------

Every molecule in her body was on fire.

One day, in Mad Science class, somebody had mixed up ectoranium with galena. She’d taken the stone without looking, and it had melted through her skin before fusing with the tissue beneath. It had taken the nurse and both gym coaches to hold her still long enough to remove it. Elle had thought that was the worst pain she’d ever experience in her life.

This was a thousand times worse.

She was dimly aware that Vlad had moved away, splitting himself into multiples. Unlike her own incorporeal duplicates, each of his were solid and independent. Above her, a new voice shouted, and sounds of a fight began. Some bit of her mind registered the voice as familiar, but that wasn’t important right now.

Her limbs and face were damp, as beads of ectoplasm oozed off of her, pooling on the examination table. She shut her eyes, trying to focus her strength. She had some control over her form, though not as much as her brothers. It was so hard to focus, though, as every cell vibrated and burned. When her attention was on one section, another would start to slip away. _Pull yourself together, Elle._

Someone was beside her, putting something cold and solid into her arm. It tingled softly as it flowed through the cracks in her body, stilling them for a moment. She managed one deep breath, relaxing ever so slightly, before the fire swelled again. The glue shattered, and the cracks felt bigger than ever. She bit her lip hard, feeling blood well up there too. _Keep it together!_

No one was ever sure who had fired the blast that went astray. Elle herself never even saw it. She felt it, however, as it struck the end of the examination table, and her legs. She screamed in pain, louder than before, as the shockwave traveled through her body. Everything was unraveling, melting, dripping rhythmically off the edge of the table. She barely registered the horrified face of her brother above her, and other yells mingling with the echoes of her own.

 

Then there was nothing at all.

 


	6. Aftermath

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Part of a Sky High group verse with some friends. If you're looking for proper crossover or Danny Phantom stuff, you probably should check elsewhere, as this is HEAVILY modified from canon of either but draws from both. And honestly, without some of the background context, it might not make sense.
> 
> Warnings apply throughout for some degree of abuse and gaslighting, severe injury, and general Bad Things happening. None of it is significantly worse than the Danny Phantom episodes "Kindred Spirits" and "D-Stabilized" (which was a strong inspiration for this), but just a heads up. 
> 
> Chapter 5: In which the pieces are picked up and life moves on.

_ In the end, it was three weeks before they announced that the search was over, and Elle was fine. The older Fentons were back in school, that day, but left early. They was tired. Would you all please stop asking questions, was all they would say. Elle is fine. _

* * *

 

_Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep._

Elle Fenton groaned slightly, burrowing her head under her pillow. She felt like she’d been hit by a train. Waking up? Not likely.

_Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep._

“Shuddup.” she grumbled, flailing an arm in the general direction of her nightstand. Instead of cool wood, however, she bumped into what felt like… another arm? Confused, she peeked blearily out at the world.

“Hi, sweetie. How are you?” Maddie Fenton asked, smiling across at her youngest child.

Elle just stared, brow furrowed in confusion. Her mind felt fuzzy, from sleep and soreness, but something was nagging at her that this didn’t make sense. Something was wrong.

“H-how… I’m… home?”

Her mother’s smile faltered a little, turning sad as she stroked a strand of hair out of Elle’s face. “Yes, Ellie. How much do you remember? About what happened?”

The pieces were starting to come back to her, although it still felt fragmentary. The girl frowned a bit as she tried to sort it out. _Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep._

“Ugh. Can’t you turn that thing off? I’m up. I don’t need an alarm anymore.”

“It’s… it’s not an alarm, sweetheart. It’s a heart monitor.”

Blue eyes widened as the pieces finally clicked into place. Now that she remembered what had happened, she wasn’t so sure she wanted to. She sat up abruptly, wincing as she yanked the IV in her arm. “Where is Vlad? What happened? How am I - ?”

“Shh. Relax, Ellie. Everything’s fine now. We’ll explain everything, but not now. For now, you need to rest.”

Reluctantly, the youngest Fenton laid back down. Mom was right; even that minor exertion had left Elle feeling dizzy. Still, as she settled back down, one last piece of wrongness nagged at the back of her mind. But before she could figure out what it was, she drifted back off into dreamless sleep.

\---------------

The next time she woke, Elle felt a lot less like she’d been steamrollered and a lot more like she needed to eat an entire cow. She had no idea how long it had been since she’d had a proper meal. Fortunately, someone in the Fenton household had anticipated this. She grinned at Jack Fenton as he rolled in a whole cart’s worth of food.

“Ellie-Bell! Wasn’t sure if you were up yet.”

“Heya, Dad. I just woke up. S’that all for me?” Elle asked, laughing a bit. Her adoptive father’s nickname for her usually annoyed her. Today, it just made her feel a little more at home.

“That’s my girl! What d’you want to start with?”

As she picked out her favorites, another head poked through the open doorway, and Elle beamed. “Jazz! What are you doing here?”

Her older sister raised an eyebrow. “Making sure the rest of our family doesn’t smother you trying to make sure you’re alright. What else? Scoot over, I’m joining you for lunch.”

Before long, all six of the Fentons were in the room: Jazz next to Elle, the twins seated on the foot of the bed, and Maddie and Jack in the chairs nearby. Between bites of food, Jazz chatted about college life, and the twins filled her in on all the latest school gossip.

“--Wait, and he seriously blew off a whole chunk of the room? Dang, that must’ve been a heck of an explosion. Wonder how he pulled that off.”

“No one knows! Even Bendy doesn’t think he can do it again. They had to move class outside for a week while they patched it up.”

Elle laughed, imagining their teacher attempting to keep order of a bunch of teenagers in an outdoor lab. That must have been a sight to see. It was a shame she’d missed it. In fact, it seemed like here was a lot she’d missed.

Her leg suddenly itched, and she leaned over to scratch it… only to find her fingers touching nothing but air. Confused, she shifted, pulling her legs out from under the blanket.

Or rather, leg. Singular. The other was missing. The one that remained was twisted, sections burnt away as though she’d been splattered with acid.

Suddenly, she felt sick, unable to look away from the space where more of her body ought to be, or from the mess that was her remaining limb. For a moment, the only movement was the twins, glancing at each other in sudden concern. Then Jazz wrapped her arms around her little sister, pulling her into a tight hug. “It’s alright, little sister. Talk to me.”

“... I… I didn’t… I knew something felt funny but… M-my legs…”

One of the twins chimed in. “There’s a doctor, in the Ghost Zone. When you feel up for it, we can take you to him. He should be able to help.”

Maddie nodded. “But there’s no hurry. You’ve got as much time to recover as you need, alright sweetheart?”

The girl shook her head. She couldn’t process this. How could she have not realized her legs were all messed up? Vlad had hurt her, but she had no idea it was this badly. If there was a doctor that could fix her, the sooner the better. “I’m ready now. Let’s go.”

Her parents shared a concerned look, but didn’t argue.

\-------------

The news that the doctor offered was not, in Elle’s mind, particularly good.

“The left leg reformed improperly, as some of your ectoplasm was lost, but it should heal with time. If you are able to manipulate your form, you might be able to speed the process, but I wouldn’t recommend it. You’d need to focus on reforming it following human biology, not ghost, which is far more intricate.

“The right leg, however. Only the strongest ghosts can regrow severed body parts. And even then, usually not completely.” He waved his own arm, made of ice and bone, which stood out from the rest of his fur-covered body. “Given your unique physiology, I have no idea if you’ll be able to regenerate or not. I wouldn’t rely on it.”

Elle clenched her jaw, trying to hold her emotions in check. What did the doctor know? He’d admitted, right at the start, that he’d never worked with something like her before. Even her powers were rare, and the fact that she was a fusion of human and ghostly biology made her completely unique. _Goody for me_ , she thought, sarcastically.

Despite her best efforts, a hot tear splashed down her cheek as she tried to thank the doctor. “...least now I know, I guess.”

Danny frowned at her a little as he carried her out of the office. “...you ok, Ellie?”

Her shoulders shrugged. “Yeah. It’s just… yeah. I’m fine.”

She doubted he believed her. She didn’t believe herself.

\-----------

She was working on a math problem when Jazz knocked on her bedroom door. “Ellie? You feeling up for a visitor?”

The younger girl glanced up from her pile of homework. She’d begged her brothers to collect her make up work from school, the day after their visit to the Ghost Zone doctor. “I don’t wanna get held back. There’s still like a month of school. I wanna get caught up. Sides, what else’m I supposed t’do on bedrest? I’m _bored_.” She’d been working almost non-stop on it since. It kept her mind busy. If she was busy, she didn’t have time to remember her own stupid choices, or the consequences thereof. If she was busy, she didn’t have to think about what her friends would think of her now.

“...who is it?” She asked, hesitantly.

“Principal Powers. She said she wants to see how you’re doing. Is that alright?”

She nodded. The principal she could handle. “Yeah, sure.”

A moment later, the school administrator walked in, taking one of the chairs next to Elle’s bed. “Hello, Danielle. How are you?”

The girl flinched at the name. Danielle was what Vlad called her. More and more, hearing it made her feel sick. She didn’t want anything he’d given her, not even her own name. “Um. Can you… call me something else? I… Mom n’ Dad have prob’ly told you what happened, huh.”

Powers nodded. “Briefly, yes. I apologize; they didn’t say that you had a negative reaction to Danielle now. What would you prefer?”

“Elizabeth.” The answer slipped out before she’d really thought about it. Back when she’d been adopted, that was what they’d picked for her middle name. Vlad didn’t even know it. And she could still be Elle, without being Danielle anymore.

“Alright then. How are you, Elizabeth?” Powers asked, a slight smile at the corner of her mouth. “Looks like you’re keeping busy.”

“Uh huh. I know I’ve missed a bunch of school, but. I really, really want to stay with my class, and at Sky High. I can, right? Even with…” She trailed off, glancing down at the blanket covering her lap. It hid her weakened leg and its missing partner.

“That was actually that I came here to talk about. I wasn’t sure whether you felt that you wanted to come back to the school at all. However, since it seems as though you’re recovering well, and motivated to return…” She paused, and gave Elle a brighter smile. “Do you think you’ll be well enough for classes on Monday? I’ll work with your teachers to make the necessary accommodations.”

Elle chewed her lip, studying the pile of work around her. She’d gotten through nearly half of it already; she could probably be caught up, or nearly so, by Monday. Her wheelchair had come in yesterday, so she’d be able to move around without being carried all the time. There didn’t seem to be much reason to wait.

The only thing holding her back was the thought of her friends. Her bedroom was covered in get well cards and little gifts from her schoolmates. They only knew that she was back, and had been hurt, though. How was she going to face them and explain what had happened?

She looked back up, and met the principal’s eyes. “If I do, but it’s too much, can I go to the nurse or head home?”

“Of course. That’s an entirely reasonable request. We want to give you the chance to recover fully. If Monday is too soon -”

Elle shook her head. “I want t’go back to school. I just want everything to be normal again. Anyway, I’m going crazy just sitting in here all the time.”

“Excellent.” Powers said, standing. “Then, Elizabeth, we’ll see you on Monday.”


End file.
